Called Nature Air to check on our flight from SJ to Osa, and they said that the weight limit is 30 lbs. Everything I've read so far, says 25 lbs. I don't want to be paranoid, but has anyone had recent experience with flying Nature Air within CR? What was the weight limit? Also, is there safe storage for luggage in the airport? We'd rather not stay in the same hotel coming & going (which would allow us to leave our luggage in our hotel.) Thanks.

I've always been told 25, but when I flew Nature Air in Jan. the sign said 30 lb. They were very strict about the weight limit. Our flight was full and they took most of the luggage off and sent it on another plane. (They weigh each person and your backpack too.)

It's a very small airport and I don't think they store luggage, but I'm not 100% sure. Since Swiss Travel made our arrangements, they stored our excess luggage for us and had it waiting when we came back. If you're on your own, storing it at the hotel is the only thing I can think of.

Sandy

The other option is to be real good at packing light. We had a couple with us who brought no more than 25 lbs total for their whole trip, so they didn't have to store anything.

I'm about to go for 3 weeks and I'm determined to get everything in one duffle bag under 30 lbs -- don't know if I'll succeed. I'm bringing the Ex-Officio underwear and wearing their T-shirts as regular shirts. They look decent and dry fast, even when it's humid, and they weigh nothing. I have some skorts that are also weightless and dry fast, and a couple of pairs of hiking pants. I also bought those Oil of Olay wipes to wash my face -- they even take off mascara. I'll just put them in a baggie and save space on toiletries.

Sandy

I couldn't agree more about the packing light, thing. Do you really want to pack around more than 15 pounds anyway? If I can travel for a month with less than that, you can, too. My packing list is #15 on the FAQ thread here:

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ca...mp;STARTPAGE=1

Here are 2 more websites that have helpful suggestions:

http://www.onebag.com/
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlist.htm

Experienced travelers take less and less each time until they've honed the list down to the essentials. The freedom you'll feel when you only need a loosely-filled carry-on sized bag is practically eurphoric. You'll thank yourself every day and enjoy your trip so much more. I've traveled "heavy" and will never do it again.

Have a great trip, no matter what you pack!

Count me in on the joys of packing light. I travel down there for at least 3-4 weeks most years and can keep it to 30lbs or less.

I haven't used it but have heard about a storage facility just down the street from the SJO airport by the Hampton Inn.

Costa Rica is such a casual destination you can definitely get away with packing within the weight limits and still have plenty of stuff for your trip.

I know I was way over the weight limit, but Nature air only charged me once when I was departing San Jose, and probably only becuase I called their attention to it at check-in. (They might not have charged me if I didn't mention that I was probably over limit..)

In total, I flew Nature Air 5 times, and was only charged once. When you fly out of the smaller airports back to San jose, they don't seem particularly concerned. But of course, your experience could be different! (Maybe they were nicer to me because I had booked so many flights..)

All in all, I was really impressed with Nature Air.

I just got back from C.R. and will post a detailed trip report. Regarding your question, my wife and I flew Nature Air from San Jose to La Fortuna. We checked two bags that weighted 40 and 46 pounds respectively. Maybe because that flight was somewhat light, they said the bags were fine and didn't make us pay any additional charges. We did however have to pay on Sansa coming back from M.A.